Henry Payne has an interesting tidbit: The government is now concerning itself with what cars its employees purchase.

Your tax dollars at work. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week sent an email urging its 67,000 employees not to buy SUVs, lecturing that fuel efficiency should be their "top priority" when buying a car.

"Every
new sport utility vehicle on the road produces 60 percent more climate
threatening CO2 emissions than a smaller vehicle," said Energy News,
a quarterly newsletter from a department that has nothing to do with
energy, but everything to do with energy morality apparently.

"The
toll that vehicles take on the environment includes air pollution, oil
spills, pollution of our water supplies, and damage to natural
habitats," continues the HHS sermon. "In order to really cut CO2
emissions, higher fuel efficiency in all vehicles will be essential."

American auto makers were not amused by the recommendation to buy Toyotas or Hondas.

This surprises me not at all. A few weeks ago, I had an EPA audit of a marina and store I operate in Colorado (the report in all its glory is here). In that audit, the Environmental Protection Agency recommended that we begin selling fair trade coffee in our store. What that has to do with emissions into the lake, I have no idea. They also recommended that I put an environmental message on our shopping bags, replacing the current boating safety message. The audit did say that they could not require these two things. Well, give them some time, they will probably make it a requirement soon.

Yes, you have it right...recommendations now...when they recognize that no one follows their recommendations voluntarily, the next step is adding either some carrot (bribery through tax credits or breaks, paid for from money stolen from others) and/or stick (outright penalty...take away privileges) to the recommendation and before you know it, it isn't a "recommendation" any longer.